Every structure in the world—from a single-family home in New York City to the 2012 Olympic Stadium in London—starts with a set of plans and instructions known as blueprints. No one would start constructing a new home with the roof first—not just because it’s illogical, but because the blueprints would instruct the contractor to begin with the foundation and build up.

A house is a suitable analogy for the blueprints behind an SEA, since no structure or strategic architecture is built by just one person. A series of specialists collaborate and cooperate in building even the simplest of structures. The same principle holds true for the enterprise executive, who should use an SEA as a blueprint to marshal domain experts—each of whom will have a different idea on how to build and execute operational blueprints with various options and scenarios—onto the same page, the same blueprint.

Enterprise executives shouldn’t underestimate the work involved in producing a comprehensive SEA and supporting portfolios. They are difficult endeavors, but only with this knowledge can decision-makers really understand what’s going on and what needs to be done in their organizations. With this knowledge, enterprise executives can begin to lay out scenarios of the future and build the appropriate models needed to arrive at that destination. They can select the best scenario based on evidence and information, as opposed to instinct or desire.

Once the current business model is understood, executives can begin to create the business scenario models that form the basis for end-to-end impact analysis, with each scenario representing an alternative for accomplishing the firm’s goals. The structured and visual nature of models makes it easy for the team to compare those scenarios and eventually combine the best of each. That equates to what’s best for operational efficiency, strategic objectives and overall financial performance.

As the South Park crew realized, phase 2 is what matters the most in every business model because it’s always about execution.